Roof supports



Sept. 19, w?

T. D. H. ANDREWS ETAL ROOF SUPPORTS 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed June 18, 1964 FIG. 3.

INVENTOQs TTQH. Andrews, I? Farr, D.G.A.' Thomas A-rToeMEvS p 1957 T. D. H. ANDREWS ETAL 3,342,034

ROOF S UPPOR'IS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 18, 1964 IMVENTOES FFarr; DEA. Thomas T. 0H Andrews,

ATTQENEYB United States Patent 3,342,034 ROOF SUPPORTS Thomas Desmond Hudson Andrews, Leckhampton Hill,

Cheltenham, David Gurney Arnold Thomas, Deerhurst Walton, and Peter Farr, Cheltenham, England, assignors to Dowty Mining Equipment Limited, a British company Filed June 18, 1964, Ser. No. 376,031 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 21, 1963, 2,470/ 63 9 Claims. (Cl. 6145) This invention relates to advanceable roof supports suitable for use in mines.

The present invention provides a roof support including two laterally-spaced support units, each support unit including at least one fluid-pressure-operated prop carried by a floor-engaging member, the floor-engaging members of the support units being connected together by resilientlydistortable connecting means such that the support units must advance simultaneously when an advancing force is applied to the support, notwithstanding that the connecting means is resiliently distortable to permit suflicient relative movement between the support units to enable the support to adjust itself to irregularities in the roof and floor when the support is set against the roof.

Each support unit may include two or more fluid-pressure-operated props carried by a rigid floor-engaging member and arranged one behind the other relative to the direction of advance of the support.

The connecting means may include a substantially upright plate-like member secured to the floor-engaging members. The upright plate-like member may be secured to a rear part of each floor-engaging member. The connecting means may also include a second plate-like member secured to the floor-engaging members and lying substantially parallel to the floor. The second plate-like member may be located forwardly of the upright plate-like member. The second plate-like member may be secured to the upright plate-like member.

Each prop may be resiliently carried by its floor-engag ing member in such a manner that the prop is capable of a limited amount of angular movement relative to its floor-engaging member.

Each support unit may include a roof-engageable member carried by the prop or props in such a manner that each prop is capable of a limited amount of angular movement relative to the roof-engageable member.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a roof support,

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the roof support, and

FIGURE 3 is a rear view of the roof support.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, a roof support suitable for use in a coal-mine includes two laterally-spaced support units 1, 2. Each support unit '1, 2 includes a rigid floor-engaging member including a base 3 of U-shaped section and a superstructure 4 welded to the base 3. Each superstructure 4 includes an upright rear plate-like part 5 which projects above the remainder of the superstructure 4. Each floor-engaging member carries at least one, and preferably two, hydraulicallyoperated telescopic props 6 each having relatively-telescopic upper and lower portions 7, 8 respectively. Each prop 6 stands in a socket (not shown) provided on the base 3 and is supported by a clamp 9 secured to the superstructure 4. Each clamp 9 contains a rubber ring 11 which surrounds and acts upon the prop 6 to resiliently urge the prop 6 to a predetermined angular position relative to the floor-engaging member. Each clamp 9 includes a first part .12 welded to the superstructure 4 and a second part 1-3 bolted to the first part 12.

Each support unit 1, 2 also includes a roof beam 14 carried by the two props 6. A spigot 15 carried by the roof beam 14 is located in a socket in the upper end of each prop 6 in such a manner that the prop 6 is capable of a limited amount of angular movement relative to the roof beam 14.

Each support unit 1, 2 has an extension 16 including a iloor beam 1-7 pivotally connected to the forward end of the base 3 of the floor-engaging member by a hinge 18. A hydraulically-operated prop 1? similar in construction to the props 6 is carried by the floor beam 17 and is capable of a limited amount of angular movement relative to the tloor beam 17. The prop 19 carries a roof beam 21 pivotally connected to the forward end of the roof beam 14 by a hinge 22. The upper end of the prop 19 is pivotally connected to the roof beam 21 in a manner similar to the pivotal connections of the props 6 to the roof beams 14.

The support units 1, 2 are laterally spaced from one another and are connected together by connecting means including an upright plate-like metal member 23 and a plate-like member 24 which is parallel to the floor and is located forwardly of the plate-like member 23. The platelike member 23 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the rear (see FIGURE 3) and its side edges 25 are bent forwardly at right angles to the remainder of the member 23. The plate-like member 23 is secured to the upright rear part 5 of each superstructure 4 by two bolts 26 with spacers 27 located between the member 23 and the rear part 5. The plate-like member 24 is secured to the upper part of each superstructure 4 by a bolt 28 and is also secured by a bolt 29 to a lug 31 welded to the plate-like member 23 at a position approximately halfway along the width of the member 23.

In use of the roof support, a hydraulically-operated jack will be secured to the roof support and to an anchorage, for example a conveyor, to enable the roof support to be advanced towards the anchorage. The jack and the props 6 and 19 will be controlled by a control valve secured to some convenient part of the roof support or an adjacent roof support. However, neither the connection of the jack to the roof support nor the construction of the control valve form any part of this invention, and hence neither the jack nor the control valve have been shown in the drawings.

When the roof support is not set against a roof, the plate-like members 23 and 24 are relatively unstressed. The upright plate-like member 23 maintains the support units 1, 2 in upright positions, and the plate-like member 24 co-operates with the plate-like member 23 to maintain the support units 1, 2 in the desired side by side relationship. The rubber rings 11 maintain the props 6 in the predetermined angular relationship with the floor-engaging members of the support units 1, 2, that is to say, generally upright.

The roof and floor of a coal-mine are frequently uneven and not parallel to one another. When the roof support is set against the roof, the roof support accommodates itself to the roof and floor conditions. The props 6 can move angularly relative to the floor-engaging members to a limited extent by resilient distortion of the rubber rings 11. The props 6 can also move angularly relative to the roof beams 14 to a limited extent by reason of the pivotal connection of the upper ends of the props 6 to the roof beams 14. The floor-engaging members of the support units 1, 2 can move relatively to one another, primarily each in its own plane, but not substantially transversely of its direction of advance, by resilient distortion in a torsional sense of the plate-like members 23 and 24. As regards the extensions 16, the roof beams 2-1 and floor beams 17 can move pivotally up and down relatively to the roof beams 14 and bases 3 of the support units 1,

2 about the hinges 22, 18 respectively, and the props 19 can move angularly relative to the roof beams 21 and floor beams 17.

If desired, the distance between the support units 1, 2 can be varied by replacing the plate-like members 26, 24 by similar members with a different width.

The superstructures 4 and the upright plate-like member 26 help to protect the space between the support units 1, 2 from waste material, which may otherwise enter that space from the rear or the sides of the support.

The front prop 6 of each support unit .1, 2 can easily be removed by unbolting the clamps 9, and the rear prop 6 of each support unit 1, 2 can easily be removed by removing its plate-like member 24 and unbolting the clamp 9.

If desired, the upright plate-like metal member 23 may be replaced by two or more metal strip-like members whose plane is substantially perpendicular to the floor and Whose opposite end portions are connected to the support units 1, 2. Similarly, the plate-like member 24 may be replaced by two or more metal strip-like members whose plane is substantially parallel to the floor. In use of such a roof support, the strip-like members will resilientiy distort in a manner similar to the plate-like members.

We claim:

1. In a mine roof support, in combination with two laterally spaced apart roof support units, each of which includes at least one extensible and contractible upright prop and a floor-engaging member extending in the direction of advance and supporting the lower end of said prop for limited relative tilting of said props and their floor-engaging members, roof-engaging means supported upon said props, and means directed transversely between and secured to each of said support units to maintain them spaced apart, said spacing means comprising at least one plate secured to said support units at spaced apart points, said spacing means being resiliently distortable at least about a transverse axis, so as to permit limited bodily movement of either support unit relative to the other, each in the plane defined by its prop and floorengaging member, but not substantially transversely of such planes, under the influence of irregularities in the roof and floor as the support units are set against the roof.

2. A roof support according to claim -1, wherein the transversely directed spacing means includes a plate-like member disposed in a substantially upright plane, and secured to each of the floor-engaging members, but resiliently distortable about an axis directed transversely between the two support units.

3. A roof support according to claim 2 wherein the upright plate-like member is secured to a rear part of each floor-engaging member.

4. A roof support according to claim 2 wherein the connecting means also includes a second plate-like memher that is resiliently distortable torsionally, secured to the floor-engaging members and lying substantially parallel to the floor.

5. A roof support according to claim 4 wherein the second plate-like member has its planar surface substantially parallel to the plane of the floor-engaging members, and is located forwardly of the upright plate-like member,

6. A roof support according to claim 4 wherein the second plate-like member is secured to the upright plate-like member.

7. In a mine roof support, in combination with two laterally spaced-apart root support units, each of which includes a forward upright prop and at least one rear upright prop, each of which is extensible and contractible, and a forward and a rear floor-engaging member for the respective props extending in the direction of advance and supporting the lower end of its prop for limited relative tilting of said props and their floor-engaging members, hinge me ans connecting each forward floor-engaging member with its rear member, about an axis transverse to the direction of advance, for their simultaneous advance, and a connecting means resiliently distortable about a transverse axis directed between and secured to the rear members only of the respective floor-engaging members, said connecting means by its distortion about a transverse axis permitting bodily movement of either support unit relative to the other, each in the plane defined by its prop and floor-engaging members, but not substantially transversely of such planes.

'8. A roof support as in claim 7, including a separate roof-engaging member supported from each of the forward and rear props, each prop being connected to its roof-engaging member for limited relative pivotal movement, and hinge means connecting each forward roof-engaging member about a transverse axis with its rear roofengaging member.

9. An advanceable mine roof support comprising two roof support units, each of which includes a floor-engaging member disposed in the direction of advance, and a forward and a rearward extensible and contractible prop upstanding from said floor-engaging member and defining therewith a plane parallel to the plane defined by the companion unit, a connecting means rigidly directed laterally from one support unit to the other, and secured rigidly to each thereof at spaced apart points, to maintain the two units spaced apart and in parallel planes, but whereby the two support units will advance conjointly under the influence of an advancing force, said connecting means being inherently resiliently and torsionally distortable about a transverse axis, whereby limited relative bodily movement between the connected units, each in its own plane but not substantially transversely of such planes, is permitted, to accommodate irregularities in the roof and/ or floor as the support unit props are set against the roof.

1,313,208 11/1962 France. 1,320,148 1/1963 France.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, JACOB SHAPJRO,

Examiners.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,342,034 September 19, 1967 Thomas Desmond Hudson Andrews et al.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below Column 3, lines 59 and 60, strike out "has its planar surface substantially parallel to the plane of the floorengaging members, and"; column 4, line 2, after "member" insert has its planar surface substantially parallel to the plane of the floor-engaging members, and same column 4, line 36,

strike out "rigidly".

Signed and sealed this 1st day of October 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer 

1. IN A MINE ROOF SUPPORT, IN COMBINATION WITH TWO LATERALLY SPACED APART ROOF SUPPORT UNITS, EACH OF WHICH INCLUDES AT LEAST ONE EXTENSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE UPRIGHT PROP AND A FLOOR-ENGAGING MEMBER EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCE AND SUPPORTING THE LOWER END OF SAID PROP FOR LIMITED RELATIVE TILTING OF SAID PROPS AND THEIR FLOOR-ENGAGING MEMBERS, ROOF-ENGAGING MEANS SUPPORTED UPON SAID PROPS, AND MEANS DIRECTED TRANSVERSELY BETWEEN AND SECURED TO EACH OF SAID SUPPORT UNITS TO MAINTAIN THEM SPACED APART, SAID SPACING MEANS COMPRISING AT 